Music to change life--El Sistema

It's another legend of how beauty of art changed people's life.

‘El Sistema’ is a network of children’s and youth orchestras, music centres and workshops in Venezuela, in which more than 250,000 children and young people are currently learning to play an instrument.

It was set up over thirty years ago by José Antonio Abreu, who was driven by the utopian vision of a better future. In the dangerous and poverty-stricken shanty towns of Caracas, Abreu lifts children out of poverty through music, changing both people and structures. The story, which has all the makings of a fairytale, is the extraordinary account of a vision that has become reality. Several of the system’s young graduates now rank amongst the most coveted young talent in Europe - the most prominent being the 26-year-old conductor Gustavo Dudamel and the double bass player Edicson Ruiz, who at the age of 17 became the youngest musician ever to join the Berlin Philharmonic.

Have a look at Mr. Abreu's talk at TED, which moved me and alot of other people to tears. His passion and courage are definitely one of the reason why this organization succeeded.

The performance of the Teresa Carreño Youth Orchestra, led by Gustavo Dudamel, one of the rock star in classic music now. You'll love the joy and energy they had in their music.

Mr. Abreu said that he's always impressed by what Mother Teresa said--"The most miserable and tragic thing about poverty is not the lack of bread or roof but the feeling of being no-one". He did challenged poverty and brought dignity and joy to so many people.

If you're interested, check out the documentation on El Sistema. Here is the trailer. '60 minutes' on CBS News also covered the story with some further thoughts on El Sistema's current success, its management structure, and future development. Check it out here with videos. One of my favorite blog, Presentation Zen, also commented on these speeches. The link is here.